Classic steak, not service
The first thing I noticed about Alfred’s, recently reopened after a two-month closure due to a basement fire, was the elevated flavor of the steaks.
The restaurant is a San Francisco classic. Established in 1928, it was taken over about 18 months ago by Daniel Patterson, known for Coi, Alta and Locol.
Patterson is an advocate of grass-fed beef, but San Rafael’s Flannery Beef meat is finished on corn, which helps to intensify the flavor and firm up the texture.
The second thing I noticed was the escalation in prices. When I reviewed the restaurant in 2016, the 14-ounce rib eye was $55; now it’s $65. And, of course, following the steakhouse tradition, the only item that accompanies it is a choice of sauces: three peppercorn, brown butter bearnaise or whipped horseradish. Sides are extra; a baked potato, grilled broccoli with lemon or creamed spinach are all $9.
I chose the 26-ounce Alfred’s cut ($75), which had good marbling, a substantial bone and a firm-textured meat enhanced with the smoky char of mesquite wood.
The two-month closure gave Patterson and his new chef, Bryan Baker, time to tweak the menu, removing the Caesar salad and changing out the housesmoked trout for smoked black cod ($17) with fromage blanc, cucumbers, cress and horseradish cream.
Other new items include tater tots with creme fraiche and smoked trout roe ($18); and celery Victor ($11), which was invented in 1910 at the St. Francis hotel by Victor Hirtzler. In this updated version, the kitchen has added mustard and upped the acid, and it has the same effect as eating a halfdozen dill pickles. By the time I finished, I had tiny blisters on my tongue.
Another welcome addition is a School Night Special offered Monday through Thursday. The three-course fixed-price dinner is $49. On Monday it’s meat loaf, Tuesday is fried chicken, Wednesday is fish and chips, and Thursday is stroganoff.
I visited on a Tuesday when fried chicken (one of my favorite dishes) was the special. First came the Alfred’s salad with a mix of greens decorated with halfmoons of watermelon radish; like the celery Victor, it had more than enough acid. The half chicken was properly fried, but it was piled on a bed of wet mashed potatoes and greens, which significantly diminished the pleasure of the crunchy crust.
The fixed-price menu’s dessert was a spumoni sundae with an indulgent amount of whipped cream pyramiding the top.
To start we also ordered oysters Rockefeller ($18 for four). The cap of creamed spinach is enhanced with pork belly and a bit of scotch, which added a layer of complexity to the blend — much better than the original recipe.
Another new item on the menu is Snake River Wagyu-Angus beef; the 12-ounce New York cut is $72, and the same size culotte is $48.
Patterson and Baker have also added a fresh pasta section with three choices: bucatini with clams ($28); gnocchetti with vegetables ($13/ $26); and strozzapreti with a spicy tomato vodka sauce ($13/$26). The latter had a pleasant kick, but the fat, loosely rolled pasta was the wrong texture. It tasted of flour and tended to break apart with each bite.
On this night, I struck out on my dessert when I ordered the cheesecake ($10), which had a crumbly grainy texture and a thick crust so impervious that it wasn’t softened by the rhubarb and strawberry puree below. It made me wish they had picked up Sara Lee.
The main disappointment, however, was the service. Previously, most of the staff was experienced, but on this visit the waiters lacked table presence and refined skills.
The person who poured water charged the tables like the cavalry riding into battle, splashing water on the table and hurrying away like someone in a race to see who could fill the most glasses in the shortest amount of time. Everyone, in fact, always seemed like they had somewhere else to be.
Other items were placed before us in a similar hurried fashion without any explanation. Obviously a steak doesn’t need much description, but we received a metal pitcher of lemon butter sauce, not knowing that it was designed to go with the fried chicken. It didn’t really matter, however, because great fried chicken really needs no other embellishment.
Fortunately, what hasn’t changed is the interior. It has been polished up but retains its Rat Pack aesthetic, with blood-red walls and matching leather chairs and banquettes, and glittery Austrian crystal circular chandeliers that run down the middle of the dining room.
Taking on and updating a classic is never an easy proposition. It’s a challenge to find the right balance between preserving the old and adding a more modern veneer, as has been successfully done at places like Original Joe’s Westlake.
Patterson and his crew make a valiant attempt and mostly pull it off, though I wish they could channel the gracious, informed service generally found at these types of restaurants.